HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (TENNESSEE VALLEY LIVING) -The Tennessee Valley is home to talented people of all types. From the soulful singers holding the microphones to the musicians behind the instruments to the people behind the scenes in the studio putting it all together to make the final cut, every role is intertwined to help bring creativity to life. But where can you go locally to cultivate all of these skills? This edition of ‘Sounds of the Valley’ is shining a spotlight on the Maitland Conservatory in Huntsville and the man who created it.
Mario Maitland Jr.’s experiences on stage and behind the scenes in the music world led to him creating a creative space for the community to learn more about the industry.
Maitland Jr. says his love for music began at an early age. A toy piano he received as a child awakened a new passion for creating his own sound.
“It was really around 4th grade where my love of music started to come in.”
— Mario Maitland Jr.
That infatuation with all things tunes and melodies would only grow deeper as he began to take formal piano lessons and eventually went on to learn violin as well, thanks to exposure to the instrument from his grandmother.
Maitland Jr. furthered his music journey by enrolling at Davidson Fine Arts School in Augusta, Georgia. From there, his talents would lead him to North Alabama after high school, where he received a full scholarship to play piano at Alabama A&M University. He says the experience at the school gave him a new perspective on the world of music.
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I was really presented with and exposed to just so many diverse forms of music and the arts that it really helped to cultivate who I was. At that time, I was pretty much strictly classical music. That’s all I knew how to do.”
— Mario Maitland Jr.
From entering piano competitions (and going home with several big titles, may we add), creating a band called ‘Remedy,’ dropping an album, and more, his time at Alabama A&M gave way to diversifying his repertoire and inspiring the idea that would one day become The Maitland Conservatory.
“I wanted to create the school where people could be exposed to the modern arts, but see how they could take traditional arts education and apply that to modern career opportunities.”
— Mario Maitland Jr.
After planning for the school for several years, The Maitland Conservatory officially opened in 2012. The space focuses on providing non-traditional arts education and correlates the curriculum with traditional core education.
We want to show people that you have access to this. It’s not always so far away from. You know, it’s right here and you can learn how to use it.”
— Mario Maitland Jr.
The conservatory offers programs like music production, podcasting, mixing mastering, songwriting, and more for kids and adults interested in learning more about the field.
“When people think of the conservatory, I want them to think ‘that is a place where I brought my inner talents to fruition. It’s the place where everything I dreamed that I wanted to do, I was able to actually do it ...”
— Mario Maitland Jr.
You can learn more about the career education services offered on the Maitland Conservatory’s website. You can also stay updated with what’s new by following the school’s official Instagram and Facebook accounts.
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